Teamwork in Clothing Factories: Experiences from The Netherlands

The Dutch clothing industry offers employment to about 20,000 employees. This industry, with about 150 enterprises, serves the Quick Response (QR) home market. Some pioneering firms try to build flexibility in their sewing rooms by installing teams of operatives. These teams have the responsibility for a complete task. In a research project for the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment the experiences of four companies were studied. Questions were posed such as: What kind of structural changes did the four companies apply? What kind of change process did they follow? What kind of effects in terms of quality of work and quality of organization can be monitored? The four companies produce the following products: jackets and trousers; industrial clothing; domestic textile articles; and jeans. Concludes that teamwork can indeed be profitable. The logical results especially are spectacular. Steering from the top and involvement of operatives are conditio sine qua non. Argues that attention has still to be paid to group dynamical skills and training facilities.